PREVENTING MRSA

Reducing the Spread of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) through Hand Washing

Reducing the Spread of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) through Hand Washing

Introduction

The Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus or MRSA is a strain of the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus that has become resistant to multiple antibiotics, first to penicillin and secondly to methicillin. It was originally discovered in the United Kingdom in 1961 and is currently very widespread. While MRSA colonization in a healthy individual is usually not serious, infection of this microbe can threaten the lives of patients with deep wounds, catheters, intravenous or other instruments that are introduced to foreign bodies or as a secondary infection in patients with a weakened immune system weakened. MRSA produces mainly nosocomial infection, i.e., a hospital acquired infection. Its most serious form is nosocomial pneumonia, a disease that can be fatal and is contracted through the ventilator tube insertion in the patient's body. While MRSA, as noted above, does not respond to antibiotics most common, other drugs, such as vancomycin and linezolid, which help fight infection. MRSA can cause life-threatening infections and generally can be treated only with expensive intravenous antibiotics. Preventing the spread of germs to others implies in particular hygiene (especially hand washing) and the isolation of the infected person, and even if this measure is based more on empiricism than actually demonstrated efficacy. The rational use of antibiotics is also helpful in reducing the prevalence of these organisms.

Research Methodology

The research methodology actually used for preparing this research paper is the secondary research. The main sources used are the available online articles available on internet. Literature review is the review of articles and journals on the specific topic. The results and overall essence from the articles is then summarized in this research paper. The journals and articles used are qualitative. The keywords used for searching and accessing the given topic are: 'Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus', 'prevention of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus', 'hand washing controls Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus', 'revention of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus through hand washing', 'hygiene and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus', and 'hand washing and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus'.

Literature Review

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus or "Staph" is a germ very common germ found in the skin or nose of every one out of there healthy individuals. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website (www.cdc.gov), the germ does not cause any problems the majority of people when these are on skin. However, these germs sometimes result in serious infections, skin infections of wounds, pneumonia or blood infections. When Staph seeds, it causes antibiotics for infections to kill these germs. The article also tells that some Staphs are resistant; this means that some Antibiotics cannot kill them. “Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus” or “MRSA” is Staph, a type that is resistant to some antibiotics commonly used for treatment of infection by Staph.

Borlaug et al. (2005) assert in their article “Community Associated Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (CA MRSA)” that the intense antibiotic used for the treatment of MRSA, VRE and other pathogens resistant to infection by Clostridium difficile ...